1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a device which can be used in conjunction with a spool on which electric fence wire is sold in order to rewind used wire onto the original spool. More specifically, the device removably secures to a spool in order to rotatably mount the spool so wire can be rewound thereon.
2. Description of the Related Art
Electric fences have been used for many years as barriers for retaining or excluding animals, usually domestic animals such as cattle, from certain parcels of property. These electric fences usually are comprised of a continuous length of electric wire which is mounted via electrical conductors to posts secured in the ground so that the wire encircles a parcel of property. The electric wire is connected to a low voltage power source, usually a battery, and a control box which periodically causes the wire to be energized with electrical current. When the electrical wire is so energized, any animal coming into contact with the energized wire will serve as a conduit to ground the wire and will thereby receive a painful, although not injurious, shock. Animals do not like to be shocked and will quickly learn to associate the wire with pain. After being shocked once or twice, the animal will avoid coming into contact with the wire. Thus, the energized wire becomes a barrier for the animals since they will not approach the energized wire once they learn that contact with it causes a shock. An electric fence can be installed much more quickly and at a much lower cost than a conventional fence, such as those employing barbed wire stretched between wooden or metal supporting posts. Also, electrical fences can be more easily, quickly and economically moved when circumstances warrant.
Intensive grazing is a type of grazing practice which is gaining widespread acceptance in the United States, particularly in the plains states. This practice involves frequent moving of large herds of cattle from one small parcel of property to another. The cattle eat the grass contained in the parcel down until there is no grass left and then the herd must be moved to a fresh parcel. The grass on the old parcel then has time to grow back again before the herd is reintroduced thereon. Rather than erect a series of traditional crossfences consisting of barbed wire so that intensive grazing can be practical, ranchers often prefer to employ more flexible means to retain the herd within a parcel. Electric fences are one preferred option.
One problem associated with use of electric fences is the need to occasionally move the fence. This entails rewinding the electric wire comprising the fence onto some type of spool, preferably the same type of spool that the wire was wound onto when it was originally purchased. Manually holding the spool and rewinding the wire onto the spool by hand is difficult for several reasons. First, as wire is wound onto the spool, the spool becomes progressively heavier and more difficult to hold in a person's hands. Second, with the hands occupied in holding the spool and winding the wire thereon, it is difficult to wind the wire smoothly and tightly around the spool. If the wire is not wound smoothly and tightly onto the spool, the spool will not be able to hold all of the length of wire which was originally contained on the spool. Also, if the wire is not rewound onto the spool in a smooth fashion, the wire can tangle and will be difficult to remove from the spool when needed to build another fence.
The present invention addresses these problems by providing a fully field assemblable and disassemblable device for rotatably holding an electric wire spool. The device can be mounted, via a holder, to a T-type metal post or alternately can be mounted onto a vehicle. The device is provided with a hand operated crank which allows the user to employ one hand to rotate the attached spool, leaving the other hand free to straighten, detangle and guide the wire smoothly and tightly onto the spool. When a spool is full, the full spool can be easily removed from the device and replaced with an empty spool so an additional length of wire can be rewound onto another empty spool.